Colleen Cannon wouldn't trade her May trip to China for, well, all the tea in China.

Livonia resident Cannon has owned downtown Plymouth's TranquiliTea shop since 2006. "It was a work trip for (husband) Pat but I got to tag along," she said. "It was a trip of a lifetime. It was like nothing I've experienced."

The couple spent the first part of the 10-day trek in the Guangzhou province in China's south, then moved on to Beijing.

"We kind of did it by the seat of our pants. It wasn't a tour. This was our first time," she said Sunday, Aug. 23, while introducing customers to teas they brought home from China.

A teapot fountain outside a China tea shop spotted by Colleen and Pat Cannon of Livonia on their travels.(Photo11: submitted)

Pat said, "First time on the mainland. We were in Hong Kong for the International Tea Fair about three years ago," with Colleen adding, "That was really fun, too."

Pat's sales director for Plastics News, part of Crain Communications. His work didn't take all their time.

'Little tea shops'

"You're going into little tea shops," she said, noting it was some 95 degrees outdoors and inside around 78 with air conditioning. "They're only serving hot tea."

Near each tea shop's front would be someone making tea the traditional Chinese way. "They use tiny pots, tiny cups," Colleen Cannon said. The pot and accoutrements would be washed with hot water, "so when you pour the tea in the cup it's not cooling the tea down," Pat Cannon explained.

"We did learn things but there was a language barrier," she said. Her husband added, "Even ordering on the street was difficult."

At a tea room where no one spoke English, "She (the owner) gets her cell phone out and calls her daughter," said Colleen. The daughter was able to translate, and tea service was given.

Tea service in China was very traditional and of great interest to Colleen Cannon, who owns downtown Plymouth’s TranquiliTea.(Photo11: submitted)

Cannon then showed a photo, among many at her Ann Arbor Trail shop, of the clear glasses with leaf decorations used to serve tea there, along with cookies/biscuits.

"They were not anything to write home about," she added of the biscuits. "All the tea was awesome."

They could bring tea for personal use back home through customs, but commercial use requires a broker. On Aug. 23 at the shop, they had samples from China they'd brought back.

"They're all traditional teas they have made for centuries," she said.

Tins of tea were a common sight in China, said Colleen Cannon, who collects such tins.(Photo11: submitted)

They found the food there oilier than Chinese food here, and noted it's all cooked in a wok. They enjoyed Beijing roasted duck.

Pat noted the security, both police and military, which largely reassured him. "And traffic. Oh, my God, traffic's amazing," he said, noting one 16-lane road, eight in each direction "The city's very clean other than the air quality."

The couple will visit Shanghai next spring. She was able to keep her shop's regular hours with capable help of staff during their May trek.

She had green tea ice cream multiple times, and said, "It's very cool."

Somebody must be watching

Colleen used the #Beijing hashtag on Instagram, and was quickly blocked by the Chinese officials. The Cannons could read Facebook while in China but not post themselves.

"The air travel is reminiscent of air travel 20 years ago," he said of its comparative luxury. On a four-hour flight within China, a full meal was served.

"It was 24 hours from house to hotel," he said of their journey.

jcbrown@hometownlife.com Twitter: @248Julie

This Beijing tea house beckoned to the Livonia couple on their travels.(Photo11: submitted)